Michael Patryn (born Omar Dhanani) is an internet entrepreneur and convicted felon. He is best known for being the co-founder of Quadriga Fintech Solutions.[1]

Michael Patryn
Born
Omar Dhanani
NationalityCanadian
Other namesSifu, 0xSifu, Omar Patryn
Criminal chargesConspiracy to commit credit card fraud[2]
Criminal penalty18 months

History

In 2007 he admitted to conspiring in separate criminal cases for burglary, grand larceny, and computer fraud.[3] He was arrested as a part of a sting operation on ShadowCrew by the Secret Service.[4] Patryn had not been using a proxy address; allowing authorities to identify him with the assistance of a confidential informant within the group.[5]

After serving time in a U.S. prison, he was subsequently deported to Canada, where he changed his name twice, once to Omar Patryn, before changing it back to Michael Patryn.[6][7] He publicly denied that the two identities are related, but an investigation by the Globe and Mail confirmed the name changes with the Canadian government.[8]

Quadriga Fintech Solutions

Patryn co-founded Quadriga Fintech Solutions, operator of the crypto exchange QuadrigaCX, with Gerald Cotten. He claims he left the company in 2016, before the company allegedly became a Ponzi scheme resulting in over $200 million in losses after Cotten died.[9]

The Ontario Securities Commission claimed they attempted to contact Patryn during their investigation, but he did not respond. They believe that the majority of the funds were deposited after his believed departure.[10]

Wonderland

In January 2022, Patryn was allegedly revealed to be 0xSifu, an anonymous individual who co-founded and was elected to manage the treasury at the DeFi cryptocurrency Wonderland,[11] one of the most popular projects in 2021.[12] When this happened, demands resulted in him resigning from the position as many erroneously assumed him to be Cotten when doxxed simply as "the quadriga guy".[13] In February 2022, Wonderland asked him to return with an informal vote in favor. In September 2022, Wonderland voted to hire him as their Risk Officer in a vote which passed with ~90% approval. [14]

At its peak, Patryn oversaw over $1 billion in assets in the Wonderland treasury.[15] The incident has led many to advocate for the de-anonymization of crypto.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Castaldo, Joe; Posadzki, Alexandra (2019-02-28). "Quadriga co-founder served time in U.S. prison for role in identity-theft ring, documents reveal". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  2. ↑ https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2005/mantovaniPlea.htm
  3. ↑ McNamara, Audrey (2019-03-19). "Quadriga Co-Founder Michael Patryn Tried to Bury His Criminal Past: Report". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  4. ↑ "The Criminal Past of Quadriga's Co-Founder Has Been Revealed". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  5. ↑ Zetter, Kim. "Guilty Pleas in ID Theft Bust". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  6. ↑ "Crypto Rocked Again: Wonderland CFO Is Ex-Convict Tied to Defunct Exchange". www.thestreet.com. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  7. ↑ "Crypto Rocked Again: Wonderland CFO Is Ex-Convict Tied to Defunct Exchange | TheStreet". www.thestreet.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  8. ↑ Castaldo, Joe; Posadzki, Alexandra (2019-02-28). "Quadriga co-founder served time in U.S. prison for role in identity-theft ring, documents reveal". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  9. ↑ Alexander, Doug (March 19, 2019). "Criminal Past Haunts Surviving Founder of Troubled Crypto Exchange".
  10. ↑ "How We Conducted Our Review". QuadrigaCX Report. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  11. ↑ https://snapshot.org/#/bestfork.eth/proposal/0x8f974b76d4f50ea26a1f44843dcda2e0f6a4736883968b29996d272b86b447a9
  12. ↑ Yaffe-Bellany, David (2022-03-02). "Millions for Crypto Start-Ups, No Real Names Necessary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  13. ↑ Nicolle, Emily (January 27, 2022). "Crypto Secrecy Makes DeFi a Financial Felon's Wonderland". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  14. ↑ https://snapshot.org/#/bestfork.eth/proposal/0x83c00b74fd766a82802e5bca6a0e0499016a065d4c6ec455992deee139e25cd0
  15. ↑ Carr, Earl. "Wonderland Lost". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  16. ↑ Yaffe-Bellany, David (2022-03-02). "Millions for Crypto Start-Ups, No Real Names Necessary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
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